Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layers Associated with Summer Monsoon Onset over the South China Sea in 1998

The variations of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) associated with the South China Sea Summer Monsoon were examined using the Global Positioning System (GPS) sounding datasets obtained four times daily during May-June 1998 on board Research Vessels Kexue 1 and Shiyan 3. The MABL height is defined as the height at the lowest level where virtual potential temperature increases by 1 K from the surface. The results indicate that the MABL height decreased over the northern South China Sea (SCS) and remained the same over the southern SCS, as sea surface temperature (SST) fell for the northern and rose for the southern SCS after the monsoon onset. Over the northern SCS, a decrease in both the SST and the surface latent-heat flux after the onset resulted in a reduction of the MABL height as well as a decoupling of MABL from clouds. It was found that MABL height reduction corresponded to rainfall occurrence. Over the southern SCS, a probable reason for the constant increase of SST and surface heat flux was the rainfall and internal atmospheric dynamics.

The Effect of the East China Sea Kuroshio Front on the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Various satellite data,JRA-25(Japan reanalysis of 25 years) reanalyzed data and WRF(Weather Research Forecast) model are used to investigate the in situ effect of the ESKF(East China Sea Kuroshio Front) on the MABL(marine atmospheric boundary layer).The intensity of the ESKF is most robust from January to April in its annual cycle.The local strong surface northerly/northeasterly winds are observed right over the ESKF in January and in April and the wind speeds decrease upward in the MABL.The thermal wind effect that is derived from the baroclinic MABL forced by the strong SST gradient contributes to the strong surface winds to a large degree.The convergence zone existing along the warm flank of the ESKF is stronger in April than in January corresponding to the steeper SST(sea surface temperature) gradient.The collocations of the cloud cover maximum and precipitation maximum are basically consistent with the convergence zone of the wind field.The clouds develop higher(lower) in the warm(cold) flank of the ESKF due to the less(more) stable stratification in the MABL.The lowest clouds are observed in April on the cold flank of the ESKF and over the Yellow Sea due to the existence of the pronounced temperature inversion.The numerical experiments with smoothed SST are consistent with the results from the ovservations.

Non-sea-salt sulfate in the marine boundary layer and its possible impact on chloride depletion

Aerosol samples were collected on board the research vessel Xuelong duringthe Fifteenth Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE XV) in November 1998—April 1999 andthe First Chinese Arctic Research Expedition in July—September 1999.The areas traversed by theexpeditionary cruises include the Arctic Ocean, the western North Pacific Ocean and the easternIndian Ocean, covering 75°N—69°S and 75°E—133°W. Aerosol samples were also taken at theChinese Zhongshan Station in East Antarctica during the CHINARE XV. Analysis of the samples yieldedconcentrations of non-sea-salt sulfate and other soluble chemical species in the marine boundarylayer. The data suggest that the chemical composition of the marine aerosols is influenced by threemajor sources: continental air masses, primary oceanic emissions, and secondary marine aerosolsoriginated from oceanic emissions.The results show that, awing to strong anthropogenic sulfuremissions from the Asian continent, non-sea-salt sulfate concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere(the western North Pacific) marine aerosol are significantly higher than those in the SouthernHemisphere (the eastern Indian Ocean). Aerosol non-sea-salt sulfate concentrations appear to beinversely correlated with aerosol non-sea-salt chloride which shows significantly negative values,indicating the loss of chloride by sea salts, in most aerosol samples. Since gaseous HCl may beinvolved in chemical reactions that deplete atmospheric ozone in the marine boundary layer (MBL),high levels of acidic non-sea-salt-sulfate released by human activities in the low and mid-latitudesof the Northern Hemisphere may become an important potential contributor to the loss of atmosphericozone in the MBL.

Study on Clouds and Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

A set of remote sensing instruments of Peking University, which includes mainly a dual-channel(22.235GHz and 35.5GHz) microwave radiometer, a 8mm microwave and a 5mm microwave radiometer, has been developed for the Western North-Pacific Cloud-Radiation Experiment (WENPEX). The instruments were used to observe the cloud and marine atmospheric boundary-layer in the southwest sea area of Japan in winter time from 1989 to 1991.In the weather change process, the characteristics of the marine atmospheric boundary-layer and liquid water content in cloud of this area in winter time are studied from observation data. A one-dimensional mixed layer model is presented for the growth and evolution of a cloud-topped marine boundary-layer. The model is used to study in the WENPEX. The simulation results are in agreement with observation data, especially the integral water in cloud.

Study on the characteristics of the marine boundary layer in the Equatorial Pacific

In this paper the variations of the wind, temperature,humidity and turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer over the tropical ocean are analysed by use of observational data with tethersonde over the Equatorial Pacific of 165°E from November 17, 1989 to June 29, 1990. According to the analyses, it is pointed out that generally the thermodynamic structure of the Marine boundary layer in the tropical ocean area remains in a state of convective boundary layer owing to higher temperature of the sea water. Generally, the cumulus generated by local convection easts in the mixed layer, and the cloud top is the top of the mixed layer. The turbulent kinetic energy in the surface layer (less 0. 4 Zi)and in the capping inversion layer is in exceedingly unbalanced state.

The concentration and distribution of dimethyl sulfide in the marine atmospheric boundary layer near the equator

A one-dimensional photochemical model with parameterized vertical eddy diffusion is used to simulate the dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the marine atmospheric boundary layer near the equator. The boundary condition of theDMS flux over sea surface is assigned from gas exchange models that deped on sea surface wind speed and DMS concentration in surface water. Photolysis rates at various altitudes are calculated as a function of Solar zenith angle, andthe radiation calculation includes ozone absorption,surface reflection and molecular scattering.The simulated results of the DMS diurnal cycle are in good agreement with the observations. Sensitivity tests ofthe model indicate that the concentration of the DMS in the marine surface layer appears to be affected by a combination of chemical processes and meteorological conditions. In addition, photochemical processes are rather important.The reaction of the DMS with OH radical, the heterogeneous conversion of SO2 and the deposition of NSS-SO andthe methanesulfonic acid (MSA) are critical factors of controlling the DMS, SO2, NSS-SO and the MSA concentrations and distributions in the atmosphere.The DMS concentration in air is directly proportional to surface windspeed, but it is inversely proportional to boundary layer height in the convective boundary layer. The distributions ofthe DMS concentrations in air are strongly influenced by atmospheric stratification in stable conditions.

On similarity profiles predicted in the convective marine boundary layer

On the basis of the ideal of local scale similarity theory, the profile equations of wind, temperature and humidity for the eonvective marine boundary layer have been obtained. The marine boundary layer measurements were made over the western Pacific Ocean as past of the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Programme during Nov. 1986-Feb. 1987. The similarity profiles predicledfor wind. temperature and humidity in the MBL are in good agreement with the observational data.

Observation of Stable Marine Boundary Layer by Shipborne Coherent Doppler Lidar and Radiosonde over Yellow Sea

Shipborne observations obtained with the coherent Doppler lidar(CDL)and radiosonde during 2014 campaign were used to study the structure of marine boundary layer in the Yellow Sea.Vertical wind profiles corrected for ship motion was used to derive higher-order statistics,showing that motion correction is required and significant for turbulence analysis.During a day with weak mesoscale activity,a complexed three-layer structure system was observed.The lowest layer showed a typical stable boundary layer structure feature.An aerosol layer with abrupt variation in wind speed and relative humidity always appeared at the middle layer,the formation of which may be due to Kelvin-Helmholz instability.The top layer encountered a dramatic change in wind direction,which may result from the warm advection from the Eurasian continent on the basis of backward trajectory analysis.Furthermore,the MABL height in stable regime was derived from potential temperature,CDL signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and CDL vertical velocity variance,respectively.The stable boundary layer(SBL)height in SBL can be derived from the inversion layer of potential temperature profile,and the mixing height in SBL can be retrieved from the vertical velocity variance gradient method.Neither the SBL height nor the mixing height is in agreement with the height retrieved from CDL SNR gradient method because of different definition and criterion.One of the limitations of SNR gradient method for MABL retrieval is that it is easier to be affected by the lofted decoupled aerosol layer,where the retrieved result is less suitable.Finally,the higher-order vertical velocity statistics within the marine stable boundary layer were investigated and compared with the previous studies,and different turbulence mechanisms have an important effect on the statistics deviation.

Structures and Characteristics of the Windy Atmospheric Boundary Layer in the South China Sea Region during Cold Surges

An observational analysis of the structures and characteristics of a windy atmospheric boundary layer during a cold air outbreak in the South China Sea region is reported in this paper. It is found that the main structures and characteristics are the same as during strong wind episodes with cold air outbreaks on land. The high frequency turbulent fluctuations （period 〈 1 min） are nearly random and isotropic with weak coherency, but the gusty wind disturbances （1 rain〈period 〈 10 min） are anisotropic with rather strong coherency. However, in the windy atmospheric boundary layer at sea, compared with that over land, there are some pronounced differences： （1） the average horizontal speed is almost independent of height, and the vertical velocity is positive in the lower marine atmospheric boundary layer; （2） the vertical flux of horizontal momentum is nearly independent of height in the low layer indicating the existence of a constant flux layer, unlike during strong wind over the land surface; （3） the kinetic energy and friction velocity of turbulent fluctuations are larger than those of gusty disturbances; （4） due to the independence of horizontal speed to height, the horizontal speed itself （not its vertical gradient used over the land surface） can be used as the key parameter to parameterize the turbulent and gusty characteristics with high accuracy.

Atmospheric mercury over the marine boundary layer observed during the third China Arctic Research Expedition

TGM measurements on board ships have proved to provide valuable complementary information to measurements by a ground based monitoring network.During the third China Arctic Research Expedition （from July 11 to September 24,2008）,TGM concentrations over the marine boundary layer along the cruise path were in-situ measured using an automatic mercury vapor analyzer.Here we firstly reported the results in Japan Sea,North Western Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea,where there are rare reports.The value ranged between 0.30 and 6.02 ng/m 3 with an average of （1.52 ± 0.68） ng/m 3 ,being slightly lower than the background value of Northern Hemisphere （1.7 ng/m 3 ）.Notably TGM showed considerably spatial and temporal variation.Geographically,the average value of TGM in Bering Sea was higher than those observed in Japan Sea and North Western Pacific Ocean.In the north of Japan Sea TGM levels were found to be lower than 0.5 ng/m 3 during forward cruise and displayed obviously diurnal cycle,indicating potential oxidation of gaseous mercury in the atmosphere.The pronounced episode was recorded as well.Enhanced levels of TGM were observed in the coastal regions of southern Japan Sea during backward cruise due primarily to air masses transported from the adjacent mainland reflecting the contribution from anthropogenic sources.When ship returned back and passed through Kamchatka Peninsula TGM increased by the potential contamination from volcano emissions.

Effects of Sea-Surface Waves and Ocean Spray on Air-Sea Momentum Fluxes

The effects of sea-surface waves and ocean spray on the marine atmospheric boundary layer （MABL） at different wind speeds and wave ages were investigated. An MABL model was developed that introduces a wave-induced component and spray force to the total surface stress. The theoretical model solution was determined assuming the eddy viscosity coefficient varied linearly with height above the sea surface. The wave-induced component was evaluated using a directional wave spectrum and growth rate. Spray force was described using interactions between ocean-spray droplets and wind-velocity shear. Wind profiles and sea-surface drag coefficients were calculated for low to high wind speeds for wind-generated sea at different wave ages to examine surface-wave and ocean-spray effects on MABL momentum distribution. The theoretical solutions were compared with model solutions neglecting wave-induced stress and/or spray stress. Surface waves strongly affected near-surface wind profiles and sea-surface drag coefficients at low to moderate wind speeds. Drag coefficients and near-surface wind speeds were lower for young than for old waves. At high wind speeds, ocean-spray droplets produced by wind-tearing breaking-wave crests affected the MABL strongly in comparison with surface waves, implying that wave age affects the MABL only negligibly. Low drag coefficients at high wind caused by ocean-spray production increased turbulent stress in the sea-spray generation layer, accelerating near-sea-surface wind. Comparing the analytical drag coefficient values with laboratory measurements and field observations indicated that surface waves and ocean spray significantly affect the MABL at different wind speeds and wave ages.

The effects of wind-driven waves and ocean spray on the drag coefficient and near-surface wind profiles over the ocean

By introducing a wave-induced component and a spray-induced component to the total stress, a mathematical model based on the Ekman theory is proposed to detail the influence of wind-driven waves and ocean spray on the momentum transport in a marine atmosphere boundary layer（MABL）. An analytic solution of the modified Ekman model can be obtained. The effect of the wave-induced stress is evaluated by a wind wave spectrum and a wave growth rate. It is found that the wave-induced stress and spray stress have a small impact compared with the turbulent stress on the drag coefficient and the wind profiles for low-to-medium wind speed. The spray contribution to the surface stress should be much more taken into account than the winddriven waves when the wind speed reaches above 25 m/s through the action of a ＂spray stress＂. As a result, the drag coefficient starts to decrease with increasing wind speed for high wind speed. The effects of the winddriven waves and spray droplets on the near-surface wind profiles are illustrated for different wave ages, which indicates that the production of the spray droplets leads the wind velocity to increase in the MABL. The solutions are also compared with the existed field observational data. Illustrative examples and the comparisons between field observations and the theoretical solutions demonstrate that the spray stress has more significant effect on the marine atmosphere boundary layer in the condition of the high wind speed compared with wave-induced stress.

Elevated Ducts and Low Clouds over the Central Western Pacific Ocean in Winter Based on GPS Soundings and Satellite Observation

Both low clouds and elevated ducts are common phenomena in the oceanic atmosphere. Low clouds affect elevated ducts by changing the structure of atmospheric temperature and humidity. However, due to the limitation of met-ocean measurements, research on them is still scattered. This paper presents the distribution of elevated ducts and clouds over the central Western Pacific Ocean(WPO) based on Global Position System(GPS) sounding data and Himawari-8 satellite products from November 2015 to January 2016. Results show that the frequency of elevated ducts detected by ship-based GPS soundings was as high as 77% over the central WPO. The height and frequency of elevated ducts are closely related to the low clouds. If there are no clouds, the occurrence probability and mean base height of the elevated ducts are 14% and 730 m, respectively. By comparison, the occurrence probability and mean base height increase up to 24% and 1471 m, respectively, in the presence of cumulus(Cu) clouds, and 22% and 1511 m, respectively, in the presence of stratocumulus(Sc) clouds. Elevated ducts occur near the cloud top. The analysis of geopotential height and wind fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF) reanalysis dataset(ERA-interim) shows that the study area is covered by a strong and stable subtropical high, and slowly sinking dry air masses inside the subtropical high are above the moist boundary-layer air mass. The appearance and evolution of low clouds will adjust the temperature and humidity structure of the lower troposphere. If there are no clouds, the marine boundary layer(MBL) is the classic mixed boundary layer. Humidity gradient and subsidence inversion are formed atop the mixed layer. When low clouds are present, long wave radiation and entrainment atop clouds form a strong temperature inversion and humidity gradient, which strengthen elevated ducts. However, when Sc clouds are decoupled, a weaker temperature inversion and humidity gradient may occur between the surface mixed layer and subcloud layer, leading to a weak elevated duct atop the mixed layer.

MAX-DOAS observation in the midlatitude marine boundary layer: Influences of typhoon forced air mass

As a passive remote sensing technique,MAX-DOAS method was widely used to investigate the vertical profiles of aerosol and trace gases in the lower troposphere.However,the measurements for midlatitude marine boundary layer are rarely reported,especially during the storm weather system.In this study,the MAX-DOAS was used to retrieve the aerosol,HCHO and NO_(2) vertical distribution at Huaniao Island of East China Sea in summer 2018,during which a strong tropical cyclone developed and passed through the measurement site.The observed aerosol optical depth(AOD),HCHO-and NO_(2)-VCDs(Vertical Column Density)were in the range of 0.19-0.97,(2.57-12.27)×10^(15) molec/cm^(2),(1.24-4.71)×10^(15) molec/cm^(2),which is much higher than remote ocean area due to the short distance to continent.The vertically resolved aerosol extinction coefficient(AEC),HCHO and NO_(2) presented the decline trend with the increase of height.After the typhoon passing through,the distribution of high levels of aerosol and HCHO stretched to about 1 kmand the abundances of the bottom layer were found as double higher than before,reaching 0.51 km^(−1) and 2.44 ppbv,while NO_(2) was still constrained within about 300 m with 2.59 ppbv in the bottom layer.The impacts of typhoon process forced air mass were also observed at the suburban site in Shanghai in view of both the aerosol extinction and chemical components.The different changes on air quality associated with typhoon and its mechanism in two different environments:coastal island and coastal city are worthy of further investigation as it frequent occurred in East Asia during summer and fall.

Chemistry of daytime HOx radicals in marine boundary layer in the sea of Japan:Based on the ratio between the reactivity of HC and NOx

The ratio between the reactivity of HC and NOx, i.e., φ = ∑kOH＋HC, [HCi] / （kOH＋No[NO] ＋ kOH＋NO2 [NO2]）, is used to study the chemistry of HOx radicals （HOE and OH） in the marine boundary layer （MBL）. Data analysis shows that HOx production and OH/HO2 ratio strongly depend on φ. The OH radical concentration presents an ascending tendency in low φ region but a de- clining one in high ∞ region, while HO2 radical increases with increasing φ under low φ conditions but appears to be nearly constant with the variation of ∞ under high φ conditions. The observed OH/HO2 ratio shows a continuous decrease with the increase of φ. Model studies are conducted to illuminate the behavior of HOx radicals in different φ regions, and the results represent general agreement with the observed variations of HOx radicals and can well explain the observed behavior of HOx radicals. This study demonstrates that φ could be used as an efficient parameter to ascertain the behavior of HOx radicals in the clean marine boundary layer.

Variation characteristics of carbon monoxide and ozone over the course of the 2014 Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition

The concentrations of carbon monoxide and ozone in the marine boundary layer were measured during the 6th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition（from July to September, 2014）. Carbon monoxide concentration ranged between 47.00 and 528.52 ppbv with an average of 103.59 ± 40.37 ppbv. A slight decrease with increasing latitude was observed, except for the extremely high values over the East China Sea which may be attributed to anthropogenic emissions. Ozone concentration ranged between 3.27 and 77.82 ppbv with an average of 29.46±10.48 ppbv. Ozone concentration decreased sharply with increasing latitude outside the Arctic Ocean（during both the northward and the southward course）, while no significant variation was observed over the Arctic Ocean. The positive correlation between carbon monoxide and ozone in most sections suggests that the ozone in the marine boundary layer mainly originated from photochemical reactions involving carbon monoxide.

Tower-based observation of air-sea momentum flux:comparisons between onshore and offshore winds

We investigate the air-sea momentum flux in the marine atmospheric boundary layer using a tower-based direct measurement method.First,we compare the collected data with previous observations,and the results are roughly consistent.Next,in the low-to-moderate winds,the exchange coefficients(or drag coefficients)deviate between onshore and offshore winds,which exhibits the influence of surface wave on the momentum flux.Furthermore,we use a surface-wave-involved parameterization scheme to explain the dependence of momentum flux on surface wave.The results consolidate the influence of surface wave on momentum flux on the one hand,and validate the surface-wave-involved parameterization scheme on the other hand.

NASA’s Mission ACTIVATE: Objectives, Strategies, and Limitations

The primary goal of this report is to describe the operational concepts of NASA’s ACTIVATE mission. ACTIVATE hopes to improve the understanding of aerosol dispersion and models, provide accurate data for aerosols’ characterization and ozone profiles, and establish knowledge of the relationships between aerosols and water. ACTIVATE’s science objectives are to quantify Na-CCN-Nd relationships and reduce uncertainty in model cloud droplet activation parameterizations, improve process-level understanding and model representation of factors governing cloud micro/macro-physical properties and how they couple with cloud effects on aerosol, plus assess advanced remote sensing capabilities for retrieving aerosol and cloud properties related to aerosol-cloud interactions. ACTIVATE utilizes the fixed-wing B-200 King Air to collect data. Data collected by ACTIVATE is highly relevant for meteorologists and environmental scientists looking to understand more about aerosol-cloud formations. Finally, ACTIVATE is a 5-year mission spanning from January 2019 to December 2023 and has used, and will continue to use, instruments such as the High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2), the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP), and the Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH).

Maintenance and Sudden Change of a Strong Elevated Ducting Event Associated with High Pressure and Marine Low-Level Jet

Capture of a strong elevated ducting event,especially its maintenance and sudden change,is of great value to airborne radar to achieve its beyond-the-line-of-sight detection.However,the knowledge is not easily accessible over the open ocean and hence very rare.During the Air–Sea Interaction Survey(ASIS)over the western North Pacific(WNP)in May 2016,a strong elevated ducting event with a long-life period and sudden change in its evolution was observed.Measurements from the ASIS,images from the Himawari-8 satellite,reanalysis data from the ECMWF,and Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model,were used to analyze the maintenance and sudden change of this strong ducting event,together with the model performance on simulating it.The results showed that the maintenance of strong elevated ducts,with their tops ranging from 750 to 1050 m and average strength of approximately 38 M units,was caused by a strong dry air mass capping over the wet marine atmospheric boundary layer(MABL),together with the subsidence inversion associated with high pressure.The WRF model performs well in simulating them.However,a sudden increase in duct height with a slight decrease of strength was recorded by the subsequent GPS radiosonde,which was finally contributed to the mechanical turbulent inversion and hydrolapse associated with the marine low-level jet(MLLJ).The height of the maximum horizontal wind speed(Umh)of the MLLJ corresponds well with the bottom of the trapping layer.However,these jet-relevant ducts are generally weak and it is difficult to accurately simulate them by using the mesoscale numerical model,since the wind-shear produced eddies are too small to be properly parameterized.

A New Observation Operator for the Assimilation of Satellite-Derived Relative Humidity:Methodology and Experiments with Three Sea Fog Cases over the Yellow Sea

Assimilation of satellite-derived relative humidity(Satellite-RH)is capable of improving sea fog forecasts by saturating the background in the observed foggy areas.Previous studies have achieved saturation by increasing the moisture only(Method-q).However,this method can lead to large wetting and warming biases within the marine atmospheric boundary layer(MABL).A new method using an RH observation operator(Method-RH)is designed to alleviate these biases by simultaneously adjusting the moisture and the temperature.For comparison,saturation is also achieved by decreasing the temperature only(Method-t).The three Satellite-RH assimilation methods are implemented within the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation-based three-dimensional variational system and examined for three sea fog cases over the Yellow Sea.The three cases on 28 April 2007,9 April 2009,and 29 March 2015 fail to be predicted without the Satellite-RH assimilation as their MABLs have both warming and drying,drying,and warming biases,respectively.Intercomparisons and evaluations show that Method-RH has the best overall performance of the three methods in terms of the forecast of sea fog and MABL structures as only Method-RH can fully or partially address all the bias scenarios in forecasting sea fog.Compared with Method-q,Method-RH produces more well-defined sea fog areas by adding a smaller amount of moisture as well as decreasing the temperature.Compared with Methodt,Method-RH enlarges the sea fog areas by increasing the amount of moisture in addition to the cooling.